Memory & Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific: Mission Statement

The East Asia region has witnessed phenomenal
economic growth and democratization in recent decades; yet wounds from past
wrongs committed in times of colonialism, war, and dictatorship are not yet
fully healed. Historical animosities are still simmering between Japan and its
close neighbors more than half a century after the end of WWII. Both Taiwan and
the Republic of Korea have adopted measures to redress human rights violations
under their military dictatorships. And China has yet to begin fully
confronting its own troubled history in recent times.

Reconciliation--the restoration of friendship,
harmony, and trust among former adversaries after a traumatic experience--is one
of the major challenges facing East Asia today. If reconciliation within a
country helps consolidate civil society and strengthen democracy, reconciliation
with one’s neighbors is all the more urgent for a region undergoing major shifts
in its security environment. These two types of reconciliation—internal and
external—can reinforce each other since respect for human rights is a
fundamental requirement for redressing historical injustice.

The project on Memory and Reconciliation in
the Asia Pacific at the George Washington University is currently focused on China,
Japan, and Korea. We begin with the history of Japanese colonialism and World
War II because it is particularly entangled in current regional and domestic
politics. We shall broaden our scope in the near future. Our goal is to connect
individuals and institutions across the Pacific, increase awareness about
efforts at conflict resolution and confidence-building in the region, and
promote cooperative endeavors through conferences, joint projects, and
commissioned papers. Instead of assigning blame among the parties involved, our
ultimate goal is to identify factors that contribute to reconciliation.

Sharing reliable information about past wrongs as
well as efforts of redress, in our view, is the first step toward developing and
sustaining a constructive dialogue, a prerequisite for lasting reconciliation.
This website is dedicated to such a purpose. It makes available government
documents, legal verdicts, scholarly works, as well as information about current
events. Through the internet, we hope to provide basic data to students,
journalists, policy makers, and private citizens interested in these issues.
Your input is always welcome.